Section of Honey Farms store collapses

Wednesday

Apr 17, 2013 at 11:00 AMApr 17, 2013 at 11:46 AM

By Linda Bock TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

The full length of a soffit nailed to the underneath section of the roof over the Honey Farms at 1073 Pleasant St., collapsed and landed in a heap on the sidewalk in front of the convenience store around 11 this morning.

About a half-dozen employees made it out of the store and gathered in the parking lot as fire and building officials assessed the damages.

“It just collapsed,” two of the employees said simultaneously.

District Fire Chief Michael Conley said he notified building officials, and National Grid to turn off the electricity. Several wires were torn away from the long, wooden structure when it crashed down.

“The issue is how secure is this structure,” said John Morawski, a building official with the city's Division of Code Enforcement. He said a primary concern was to make sure propane tanks stored outside the front of the building were removed safely.

“Then we'll be looking at the way it was constructed,” Mr. Morawski said. “I'm surprised it even stayed up.”

Mr. Johnson said Honey Farms leases the space, and the landlord was contacted. Within 30 minutes, a contractor and demolition crew were contacted, and a Dumpster was dropped off for the debris.

Bystanders were relieved that no children were hurt because it is school vacation week in Worcester and children quite often congregate in front of the convenience store. .